1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a detection apparatus to detect a detection target, and a vehicle including the detection apparatus.
2. Background Art
Recently, technologies using a detection apparatus to detect outside a vehicle going in one direction and to assist the driving of the vehicle for enhanced safety driving have been developed (hereinafter, referred to active safety technology).
The active safety technology includes, for example, a technology to stop a vehicle automatically to avoid a collision with a detected object, a technology to remain a vehicle in a detected driving lane by automatically adjusting steering effort of the vehicle, and a technology to drive the vehicle by following a detected ahead vehicle.
Further, the active safety technologies includes, for example, a technology to display a detected object on a head-up display by high-lighting on a windshield to alert a driver of the vehicle.
As to the active safety technology, a detection apparatus included in a vehicle is used to detect a detection target such as an object, white line of driving lane, an ahead vehicle, and to measure distance to the detection target.
A control unit included in the vehicle instructs various devices of the vehicle to devise the above mentioned active safety based on information of detection of the detection target and distance information to the detection target obtained by the detection apparatus.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional detection apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the detection apparatus 100 includes a transmission unit 101 and a receiving unit 102. The transmission unit 101 transmits a signal to a detection target, and the receiving unit 102 receives a reflection signal reflected from the detection target.
The detection apparatus 100 is attached to a vehicle by facing the detection apparatus 100 to a forward direction of the vehicle, which may be a direction that the detection target exists (hereinafter, “distance measuring direction”).
For example, FIG. 2 is a front view of a vehicle and conventional attachment positions of the detection apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the detection apparatus 100 can be attached to components of a vehicle 50 such as inside a bumper 51 of the vehicle 50, under the bumper 51 of the vehicle 50, or inside a front grille 52 of the vehicle 50.
In FIG. 2, a detection apparatus 100A is attached inside the bumper 51, a detection apparatus 100B is attached under the bumper 51, and a detection apparatus 100C is attached inside the front grille 52.
The detection apparatus 100 is required to be attached to a component of the vehicle 50 with a condition that no blocking objects exist in a detection direction to secure sensitivity of signal transmission and receiving.
Conventionally, an opening is provided to a component of the vehicle 50 such as in the bumper 51 and the front grille 52 to attach the detection apparatus 100, with which strength of component may become lower.
Further, because the detection apparatus 100 is attached by disposing the opening of the vehicle 50, weatherproof (e.g., water-proof, dust-proof) of the detection apparatus 100 may become lower.